Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | |||
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City | |||
City of Myrtle Beach | |||
North Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach
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Location of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina |
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Location in the United States | |||
Coordinates: 33°43′N 78°53′W / 33.717°N 78.883°WCoordinates: 33°43′N 78°53′W / 33.717°N 78.883°W | |||
Country | United States | ||
State | South Carolina | ||
County | Horry | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | John Rhodes (R) | ||
Area | |||
• City | 16.8 sq mi (43.5 km2) | ||
• Land | 16.8 sq mi (43.5 km2) | ||
• Water | 12,359,674 sq mi (0.1 km2) | ||
Elevation | 26 ft (8 m) | ||
Population (2013) | |||
• City | 29,175 | ||
• Density | 1,356/sq mi (523.7/km2) | ||
• Metro | 269,291 | ||
Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
ZIP Codes | 29572, 29575, 29577, 29578, 29579, 29586, 29587, 29588 | ||
Area code(s) | 843 854 (new overlay Area code 854 effective early 2015.) | ||
FIPS code | 45-49075 | ||
GNIS feature ID | 1249770 | ||
Website | www |
Myrtle Beach /ˈmɜːrtəlˈbiːtʃ/ is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina.
Myrtle Beach is one of the major centers of tourism in the United States because of the city's warm subtropical climate and extensive beaches, attracting an estimated 14 million visitors each year. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 27,109 with the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area population at 465,391 according to a 2013 estimate.
A man-made island, Myrtle Beach has been separated from the continental United States since 1936 by the Intracoastal Waterway, forcing the city and area in general to develop within a small distance from the coast. In part due to this separation, the area directly west of Myrtle Beach across the waterway remained primarily rural, whereas its northern and southern ends were bordered by other developed tourist towns, North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach. Since then, the inland portion of the Myrtle Beach area has developed dramatically and the beach itself is developing westward.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.55 square miles (61.0 km2).
According to the Köppen climate classification, Myrtle Beach has a humid subtropical climate or Cfa – typical of the Gulf and South Atlantic states. The city enjoys abundant sunshine year-round with more than 2800 hours annually.